Follow The Clues
by NatesMama
Summary: One shot in response to the Bone Yard "Write It, Don't Say It" Challenge posted by dukefan1982.


Follow The Clues

After another frustrating night of nothing but innocent Thai food and even more innocent movie-watching with her increasingly maddening partner, Temperance Brennan stalked into her office and threw her messenger bag on the floor next to her desk. She dropped into her office chair, head thrown back, sighing. She had no idea what other signals she had to throw out to get Booth to see that she was interested. In fact, she had practically thrown herself at him, and still....nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Resigning herself to the fact that Booth just wasn't interested in her that way, she turned and prepared to start her day. But when she reached to boot up her computer, she saw a blue index card taped to it. It read:

_Begin your search where you would find a Coccinellidae wrangler._

Brennan shook her head and smiled. Obviously, the index cards were a huge tip off as to who was sending her on this little wild duck chase, but the reasons were currently escaping her.

She made her way out of her office and headed towards the front of the lab, out the sliding doors and down the hall to the entrance to the Jeffersonian gardens. There, sitting on a bench reading a book, was Hodgins. He smiled when she approached and handed her another index card, this one in pink.

"I assume you're the ladybug wrangler, Hodgins?" She smiled.

"You assume correctly, Dr. B. Here's your next clue."

"What is going on here? What is-"

"Nope." He stopped her talking with an upraised hand. "I'm not allowed to say, so don't even ask. Just follow the clues." Hodgins smiled again, more softly this time. "Good luck, Brennan."

She gave him an odd look, then stopped to read the next clue.

_**Find the name of Greta Garbo's most famous character. **_

At least Booth knew that she was a big classic film buff, she thought. In fact, Greta Garbo was her all-time favorite actress next to Clara Bow. Brennan grinned at Hodgins, turned, and headed back into the Jeffersonian to find her next clue in autopsy.

"Camille?"

"Temperance." Cam grinned at how fast Brennan had figured out Booth's next clue and found her way there. "I have your next clue."

Brennan nodded and took the yellow index card from her boss.

_**John Constable believed in the importance of working from life. Find his biggest fan and do exactly what they tell you to do.**_

Brennan headed off to her best friend's office. Booth had remembered that Brennan bought Angela an original John Constable for her birthday a few years ago, and for some reason she found that incredibly endearing.

Entering Angela's office, she found it was set up like a salon, complete with hair dryer and curlers warming up, and a selection of dresses hanging in the corner.

"Welcome, Bren! Now sit down and let me take care of everything!" Angela waved her hand towards the chair in front of the mirror, gesturing for Brennan to take her seat.

"Ang, I'm not sure what is going on, but I am not doing anything until you tell me what you're doing!"

Angela pushed her down into the soft chair and began running a brush through her chocolate-colored locks. "Nope. Just sit back and relax. Eventually, your reality will become perfectly clear, sweetie."

Not listenening to another word Brennan tried to say, Angela began to tease, curl and set Brennan's hair until it was gracing her shoulders in soft, full curls.

"Perfect." Angela dragged her up, pushing her towards the clothing hanging near the screen in the back of the room. "Now go find the perfect, sexy dress to go with it."

"Perfect for what, Ang? What the heck is going on?!?"

"Just go get dressed, Bren."

After a lengthy dress-up session, Brennan was finally able to settle on a dress. It was deep, deep blue with a plunging neckline, a-line cut and fell softly to her knees with a flourish. She finished the look with a high strappy heel that Angela described with a rather crass name, and was rewarded with yet another notecard, this one in white.

_**Go find what I consider to be my greatest accomplishment on this Earth.**_

Angela grabbed Brennan in a tight embrace as she started to leave. "Good luck, Sweetie. Please, do me a favor and while you're following the clues...also follow your heart."

"I will, Ang. I will."

Brennan pulled up to the small house on the quiet street and sat in contemplation for a moment. She had been incredibly frustrated when this whole thing began, but as soon as she knew what her next destination was, the frustration was replaced by anticipation. She knew, deep down in her heart, that Booth had sent her here for a very good reason, and that it had to be important...monumental, even.

And the possibilities were making her head spin and her heart race. In a very, very good way.

She stepped out of her car and made her way to the door, ringing the bell with excitement. The door opened, and Rebecca stood there, smiling. "You look lovely, Dr. Brennan."

"Th-thank you, Rebecca. And please, call me Temperance." Brennan could barely form the words, her tongue seemed to have a mind of it's own at the moment.

"Come in, Temperance. Parker is waiting for you." Rebecca led her into the house, somewhere she had never been before. The decor was warm and welcoming, and it helped to soothe her tattered nerves a bit.

Parker stood in the living room, big smile on his face and a small, light blue box in his hand. "Hi, Dr. Bones!" He ran up and hugged her around the waist, gripping tightly.

"Hi, Parker! Can you tell me what is going on?" She thought a nine year old would be easier to break than Angela would be.

"Nope!" He grinned that patented Booth smile and held out his hand with the box in it. "Daddy told me not to! This is for you!"

Brennan took the easily recognizably-colored box and slowly opened it. Nestled inside was a necklace with a thin, almost invisible gold chain. On the chain hung a tiny head and a small heart. She held the chain aloft, contemplating the meaning as she turned the box over in her other hand. That was when she noticed the small note tucked inside. Pulling it out and opening it, her breath caught in her throat as tears pricked her eyes.

_**Brain and heart, Bones. Brain and heart. **_

Parker saw the tears in Brennan's eyes and hugged her again, this time rocking her back and forth, trying to comfort her. "Please don't cry, Dr. Bones! Don't you like the gift?"

"Oh, Parker! I love the necklace!" She returned Parker's hug with a vengeance. "I'm crying because I'm happy. That's all."

"Adults are so weird." Parker shook his head, laughing. "Anyway, I have another note for you!" He held out another notecard, this one was green.

_**Go to the first place I ever heard you sing. I'll be there waiting for you.**_

Brennan hugged Parker again, thanked a surprised but grinning Rebecca with a hug as well, and headed out into the night.

She knew exactly where she was supposed to be, and who she was supposed to be with.

Brennan sat outside the darkened visage of the Royal Diner in her car, fingers tapping on the steering wheel. She had driven like a madwoman to get here, to get to him...and now, she was indescribably nervous. Angela would probably say she was "freaking out". Her whole future was sitting in that seemingly deserted diner, and she was deathly afraid that she was going to do or say something to screw it up.

_He loves me._ She knew that as sure as she knew her own name. No man would go to all this trouble, and involve all of their friends, if he wasn't promising her something significant. Something forever. She made up her mind and exited the car.

Stepping up to the door, she noticed one more index card taped to the door.

_Eventually. Someday.... Right now. Open the door._

With a shaking hand, Brennan pushed on the door. The tinkling of the bell actually served to settle her a bit as she took first one step...then another...then another, eyes adjusting to the dim light inside the diner.

Looking around, she saw candles on every surface, making everything in the room look as though it were afire. Normally she would have thought the whole thing was a bit cheesy, but there was absolutely nothing cheesy about what she saw when she turned towards _their_ table.

Booth stood next to the table, holding a single daffodil, dressed in a black tie-less tuxedo. Brennan was completely sure that he had never looked sexier than he did right then. He gave her a small smile and stepped towards her. She was powerless to do anything but stand there, waiting for him to come to her.

He stopped inches in front of her, holding out the flower. She took it with a still-shaking hand and managed, barely, to look him in the eyes. "Booth?"

As if he hadn't even heard her soft plea, he started to speak. "That necklace looks beautiful on you, Bones." He reached a finger up and softly traced the line of the chain, making her breath catch in her throat. "But then again, everything looks beautiful on you. You could make a potato sack look sexy."

Brennan released a shaky laugh and shook her head. "Booth. Just say it. I can't wait anymore."

His eyes widened as he saw the truth in her eyes. "I did wait too long, didn't I?" He gave a self-depricating laugh. "I just...I needed to be sure that I wasn't going to ruin what we already have here, Bones. This, us...this is the single most important relationship of my life. I can't live without you."

Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she returned his intense gaze. "You are the most important person in my life, Booth. Nothing you do or say could change that."

"I know that now. I do. And I've wanted to tell you this a million and a half times, in a million and a half different ways, but it never seemed to be the right time or the right situation. It all comes down to this...I love you, Bones. In a passionate, intoxicating, totally absorbing, life-defining kind of way. You are my north, my infinitely better half, my muse, my soul, my heart, my everything. I haven't ever loved anyone the way I love you, and I never will again. You are the one, Bones."

Breath hitching and tears now running freely down her cheeks, Brennan put her hands on either side of Booth's face and kissed his lips softly. She leaned her forehead against his and looked him right in the eye. The emotion of everything he had just declared, including a deep fear, was radiating from his eyes, and Brennan was temporarily lost in the dark brown orbs. She finally took a breath, and said the one thing that she knew would erase all the doubt she was feeling come off of him in waves.

"Booth...what the hell took you so long?"


End file.
